Method of making box toes



March 1 ,1927. 1,519,350

E. I. LA CHAPELLE METHOD OF MAKING BOX TOES- Filed Feb. 10. 1925 Z w gm @707,

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Patented Mar. 1, 1927.

UNITED STATES EUCLID I. LA cnarnrnn'or BBOCKTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

METHOD OF MAKING BOX TOES.

Application filed February The present invention relates to leather box-toes.

In making leather box-toes it is customary firstto skive the front and back edges of the box-toe blank to a blunt edge, and then to reduce the blunt front and back edgesto a feather edge by a scouring operation. The scouring of the back edge may be performed roughly as this edge is drawn in the lasting operation beneath the tread surface of the shoe. The front edge, however, must be scoured with great care to insure uniformity throughout the feather as any irregularity shows. through the upper in the finishedshoe. Leather box -toes present difficulties in lasting owing to thenccessity of performing the pulling-over operation under considerable tensionin order to stretch the skived and scoured front edge of the box-toe and set it firmly on the top and sides of the last. Moreover, leather box-toes, although highly desirable in turn shoes,'are not used therein to any extent because the skived and scoured front edge rolls over towards the toe-end of the shoe when the shoe is turnedright side out. This rolling of the front edge of the toe box necessitates a tedious operation at the time of relasting in order to unroll the toe box between the upper and lining. It'has been proposed to stitch the skived and scoured front edge of the toe box to the turn shoe upper and lining/to prevent this rolling:

of the front edge of the toe box; This construction, however, created a condition Worse than before owing to the shrinking of the lining subsequent to its becoming wet during the tempering of the attached toe box preparatory to the lasting operation.

The disadvantages of the customary leather box-toes may be enumerated as follows:

1. They are expensive to manufacture owing to the care required to scour properly the front edge of the box-toe blank.

2. They require extra tension in the pulling over operation in order that the skived and scoured front edge of the toe box may be properly lasted, and

3. They cannot be used to advantage in turn shoes.

The object of the present invention is to produce a leather box-toe which will be economical to manufacture, which will obviate the necessity of an extra tension in 10, 1925. Serial N0.'8,1501

the pulling over operation, and which-will I be suitable for use in turn shoes.

To the accomplishment of this object, and

such others-as may hereinafter appear,the

features of the invention relate to certain combinations, arrangements 0f parts, and

methods of manufacture,- hereinafter described and then set forth broadly and in detail in the appended claims which possess advantages readilyapparent to those skilled in the'art. r I

The various features of the present invent-ion will be best understood fro-m an inspection of the accompanying drawings illustrating the best forms of the invention at present devised, in which, i

Figure 1 is a plan of aib'ox-toe blank at a preliminary stage of its manufacture;

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation onthe line 2-2, Fig. 1

Fig. 3 a detail in sectional elevation of the tempering box;

Fig. 4 is a detail showing the rollsforv finished box-toe.

rolling the 'skived front edge of the blank Referring to Fig. 1', t 1e box-toe blank 1 is skived along its back edge 2'and its front edge 3 in the usualxm'anner. Also, in .the-

usual manner, the skivedback edge 2 is reduced to a feather-edge in a scouring machine. instead of scouring the front edge 3 to a feather edge, an operation which must be carefully performedrto prevent. irregularities showing through the upper in the finished shoe, I treat the blunt front edge l (Fig. 2) in order to make it more rigid than the rest of the blank. This treatment of the front edge may consist in applying glue, size or other stiffening material to the front edge. lVith the front edge treated to render it more rigid than the rest of the blank I find that the box-toe l'may be used in turn shoes with no liability of the front edge 3 rolling backward during the turning operation. I have determined that if the front edge is tempered and then dried prior to the tempering of the whole box toe preparatory to the lasting operation the front edge will be rendered more rigid than the rest of the blank. This, I take it, is due to the property leather possesses of stiffening additionally with successive wettings.

In order to conveniently temperthe front edge faces of alarge number of blanks I provide a box 5 (Fig. 3) having water therein to a depth sufficient to temper the front edges of the blanks only. The box 5 is provided with a series of transverse rods 6 againstwhich the box-toe blanks rest with the front edges thereof innnersedin the water.

In order to reduce the blunt end 4 of the tempered front face 3 to a feather edge I pass the blunt end 4 between a pair of rolls 7 and 8 which are shaped to squeeze the face 3 into a feather edge. By rolling the tGIll pered face 3 into a feather edge I compress or compact the fibers of the face 3, as seen at 9 (Fig. 5), thus rendering the face 3 more rigid than the rest of the blank.

The face 3 may be squeezed, forced, or compacted into a feather edgeby a pounding, ironing or pressing operation but owing to convenience and rapidity of operation I prefer to pass the front edge 3 between the pressure rolls 7 and 8.

By my improved constructions and methods of manufacture I am able to finish the front edge of the box-toe without the expensive front edge scouring operation. I am also able to use my improved box-toe in turn shoes as it is impossible for the stiffened front edge to roll in the turning operation. Owing to compacted front edge the box-toe fits the top and side faces of the last without any unusual tension in the pulling-over front and back ed es of a box-toe blank to a feather edge an treating the front edge of the blank to render it more rigid than the rest of the blank. a a

2. That improvement in the art of mak ing box-toes which consists in skiving the front and back edges of a box-toe blank, scouring the skived back edges of the blank to a feather edge, and treating the front edge of the blank to render it more rigid than the rest of the blank,

That improvement in the art of making box-toes which consists in skiving the front and back edges of a box'toe blank, scouring the back edge of the blank to a feather edge, and compressing the front edge of the blank to a feather edge.

4. That improvement in the art of leak ing box-toes which consists in skiving the front and back edges of a box-toe blank, scouring the back edge of the blank to a feather edge, and additionally stiffening the front edge only of the blank.

6. That in'iprovement in the art of making box-toes which consists in skiving the front and back edges of a box-toe blank, scouring the back edge of the blank to a feather edge, tempering the front edge only of the blank, and rolling under pressure the front edge onlyof the blank to a feather edge. v

7. That improvement in the art of making box-toes which consists in skiving the front and back edges of a box-toe blank, and treating the front edge of the blank to reduce it to a feather edge and render it more rigid than the rest of the blank.

8, That improvement in the art of making box-toes which consists in skiving the front and back edges of a box-toe blank, scouring the skived back edge of the blank, and tempering the skived front edge only of the blank.

In testimony whereof l have signed my name to this specification.

E CLID 1'. La CHAPELLE. 

